Supplement
Potassium is a mineral and electrolyte that helps nerves, muscles, and the heart work, and it balances sodium and fluid inside and outside cells. Most people look at it for high blood pressure, and two meta-analyses of randomized trials, covering about 1,800 people, found blood pressure improved, with moderate evidence. Those results mostly apply to people who already had hypertension, and one smaller analysis found no clear difference in bone density.
Sources: PMID 28024910; PMID 28419159
- Updated
- How we grade
- 3 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade B
- Conditions studied
- 2
- Outcomes
- 5
- Graded outcomes
- 0101
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Pressure Moderate Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 2 studies | 1,829 people | ||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Mineral Density No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 293 people | |||
Studies that measured bone mineral density | ||||||
| Bone turnover markers | Changes; see studies | 281 people | ||||
| Calcium Excretion | Improves (the measure goes up) | 350 people | ||||
| Net Acid Excretion | Improves (the measure goes up) | 154 people | ||||
Key findings
- Blood PressureImproves (the measure goes down)
- Bone Mineral Density
Shop the evidence-backed picks
Third-party tested Potassium products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.
- Grade B
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Studies cited
3 studies from PubMed
- The effect of supplementation with alkaline potassium salts on bone metabolism: a meta-analysis
- The effect of potassium supplementation on blood pressure in hypertensive subjects: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Oral potassium supplementation for management of essential hypertension: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials